Railroad-switch.



F. ZELE.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1909.

Patented June 15,1909.

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Patented June 15, 1909.

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unrrnn STATES P nTENT OFFICE FRANK ZELF, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ZELE, subiect of Austria-Hungary, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in EailroarLSwitches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railroad switches, and the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 s a plan view of a section of a railroad hav- Fig. 2 is an elevation partially in section of a sectional portion of the switch tongue and switch rail at the joint or place where thev are united, line 2*2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the switch tongue and switch rail and a longitudinal section of one of the supporting plates therefor, line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of one of the slide plates lengthwise and a cross section of the main rail and switch tongue or point thereon. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a section of a main rail and of a slide plate to which it is affixed.

As thus shown It represents either a switch rail or main rail but hereinafter referred to as a main rail, and S is a switch tongue and B a supporting bar or slide plate adapted to be spiked or bolted at its ends to cross-tie T. These designations belong to all the several views. The said slide plate B for both the main rail and switch tongue has two elevations, one for the main rail and a higher one for the switch tongue and indicated by 2 and 3 respectively. This construction will be understood as pertaining to the switch portion of the track and not to the track away from the switch and where usual methods of securing the rails will be practiced.

Specifically the slide plates B have transverse notches or recesses with the main rail supporting surface 3 at the base or bottom thereof, and brace or arm 4 on said bar overhangs said recess and is fashioned on its inside to rest in the side of the main rail and to have the rail bolted thereto as shown. The edges of the recess are shaped to receive the flange 5 of the main rail next beneath said arm 4 and the flange 6 on the opposite side of the rail has notches or recesses 7 which come opposite the raised rib surface 3 and. the side Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1909.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Seria1 No. 481,951.

edges of which rest against the opposite sides of said surface, while the inner end of said raised surface or portion is beveled and the inner end of notch 7 in the flange 6 is correspondingly beveled or inclined at 'r so as to afford room to place the main rail in position as seen in Fig. 1 and to remove it therefrom. This construction provides for locking the main rail in the most effective manner against possible spreading thereof as well as for fixing it otherwise in stable position, and yet make it removable when occasion requires. In this connection it will be seen that the top of the switch tongue supporting rib 3 is on a level with the top of rail flange 6 so that the switch tongue can be moved bodily into or close against the side of the main rail, relatively as seen in Fig 1. Said slide plate B furthermore has transverse ribs 8 at its bottom adapted to engage in transverse slots in the tie, and. these with bolts 9 effectually fasten the slide plate in and upon the tie.

Now, referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that switch tongue S is secured to main rail R by fish plates P varying in width with the said. switch tongue and rail. That is, the switch tongue is as much less in height or elevation than the rail as is seen in Fig. 2, or the difference between surfaces 2 and 3. Said fish plate P is therefore correspondingly narrowed to lap into the sides of the switch tongue, thereby providing an abutting shoulder at 3). These plates also are expected to be of suflicient springto accommodate the relatively small movement required at this point when the switch tongue is thrown, but I do not depend alone on the said plates P to support the switch at the joint but provide the same with a short rounded I 0st or stud 10 adapted to seat in a socket or iole 12 in bar B and with a seating portion adapted to rest on the bar about said hole, thus relieving the fish plates of the weight or load. This also leaves the switches free their full length to slide upon the flat surfaces 3 of their numerous supports, subject to control by the usual switch throwing mechanism.

What I claim is:

1. In railroad switches, a supporting slide plate for the main rail and switch tongue adapted to be fastened to a cross tie and having a rib on its top lengthwise to rest the switch tongue upon and a recess at the end of said rib for the main rail and an arm at one side of said recess adapted to rest against the side of the main rail, and transverse ribs on the bottom of said slide plate.

2. A main rail and switch tongue supporting bar having a transverse recess in one end formed to receive the outer flange of the main rail and to rest the said rail therein and having an arm adapted to be bolted to the side of the main rail and a rib lengthwise for the switch tongue terminating at said recess, in combination with a main rail having a notch in its base adapt ing the same to enter the recess.

3. The combination of the slide plate for a railroad switch having a recess at one'end for the main rail and a raised rib for the switch tongue and a mam ra1l in said recess having a notch in its flange overilap ing the sides of said rib at its edges l and means to fasten the main rail in said recess.

4. In railroad switches, a main rail and a switch tongue of relatively different heights and fish plates of correspondingly different widths at the ends thereof adapted to .lap into the sides of said rail and tongue to secure the meeting ends thereof together, combined with a supporting plate having a socket therein and a post on the bottom of the switch tongue engaged in said socket.

Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK ZELE.

Witnesses JOHN MIBELIN, JAMES KNAUS. 

